South Africa
Johannesburg
Johannesburg: Flying In for a South African Cruise
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What to Expect
No ship docks in Johannesburg, which stands inland at about 1,753 meters on the Highveld. Cruise travelers arrive by air at O. R. Tambo International, Africa's second-busiest airport and the hub for flights to other cities in southern Africa, so the city is a stay before or after the trip rather than a port call.
- O. R. Tambo is about 24 km east of the city center.
- Most flights from Europe are overnight and land in the early morning, so be ready for long waits at immigration.
- Most larger cruise lines that visit South Africa offer Cape Town as one of their destinations. How you get from Johannesburg to your ship depends on your itinerary, so confirm the connection with your cruise line.
- UK passport holders can visit South Africa for up to 90 days without a visa. Since July 1, 2026, every traveler entering or leaving the country must submit an online traveler declaration before traveling, so confirm the rules for your own passport.
Johannesburg on Your Own
Johannesburg is spread out and built for the car, so a day on your own works best by Gautrain, taxi or tour, one area at a time. The Apartheid Museum and Gold Reef City share a site in Ormonde, and Constitution Hill is in Braamfontein.
- From the airport: The Gautrain reaches Sandton in about 15 minutes and continues to Rosebank, Park Station and Pretoria. If you take a taxi, use the licensed taxis in the line outside the terminal, not anyone who approaches you inside the building.
- The Apartheid Museum: It stands at the corner of Northern Parkway and Gold Reef Road in Ormonde, and opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 17:00 and on most public holidays. Admission for international visitors, with an audio tour, was R240 in 2026. Check before you go.
- Constitution Hill: The Constitutional Court now sits beside the Old Fort prison, where Mahatma Gandhi was held in 1906 and Nelson Mandela was later imprisoned. It opens every day from 9:00 to 17:00.
- Soweto: Mandela House, at 8115 Vilakazi Street in Orlando West, is where Mandela lived from 1946 to 1962. Visit townships with a reliable guide rather than on your own.
- Staying safe: Keep your phone and valuables out of sight, do not walk to or from Gautrain stations after dark, and if you book a ride-hailing car, wait in a designated pick-up area.
- Getting to your connection on time: Airports have seen delays from power cuts, refueling problems and immigration queues, so leave plenty of time for any flight or transfer to your ship.
Getting Around
The Gautrain is generally the safer way to travel between the airport, Sandton, Rosebank, Park Station and Pretoria. Beyond its lines, use licensed taxis, ride-hailing apps or a tour.
- Trips to or from the airport cost more than other Gautrain journeys because of a surcharge added to the fare. You can pay with a contactless bank card or a reusable Gautrain card. Check the current fares before you go.
- Security cameras and guards cover every Gautrain station and parking area, and only passengers with a ticket can enter.
- Where possible, arrange for your hotel or tour operator to meet you at the airport, because criminals have followed travelers from O. R. Tambo to their destinations.
- The City Sightseeing bus stops at the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill and Braamfontein, starting from Rosebank.
- Minibus taxis are cheap but minimally regulated, and are best left to people who know the city.
- The Blue Train runs between Pretoria and Cape Town with a stop in Kimberley, and Rovos Rail serves Cape Town, Pretoria and Durban.
Tipping and Currency
Tipping is the norm in South African restaurants, where about 10 percent of the bill is usual and many staff rely on tips to bring up their pay. You may leave less if the food or service was poor.
- The same 10 percent is usual in taxis, and most take cash only.
- Hotel porters are usually given a small tip for each bag they carry.
- Informal car guards may offer to watch your car. A tip is optional, and they are not allowed to ask you for money.
- The currency is the rand (ZAR). Cash machines usually give better rates than airport exchange desks, whose commissions can cost 10 percent or more.
- On arrival you must declare cash over R25,000 per person, or other currencies worth more than 10,000 US dollars combined.
Museums and Languages
Since 1994, Johannesburg has opened museums that tell the story of apartheid and the people who fought it. English is the common language of the city, although no single language group dominates.
- The Apartheid Museum opened in November 2001. Each visitor is randomly assigned a white or non-white entrance, as people were classified under apartheid.
- Constitution Hill became part of a World Heritage Site in 2024, as one of the Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites.
- The Hector Pieterson Museum in Orlando West, Soweto, opened on June 16, 2002, two blocks from where the schoolboy Hector Pieterson was shot during the 1976 uprising.
- South Africa has 12 official languages.
History
Johannesburg exists because of gold: the main reef of the Witwatersrand was found in 1884, and the city was laid out two years later. In the 20th century it became South Africa's economic hub and, in Soweto, a center of resistance to apartheid.
- Gold, 1884: The main Witwatersrand gold reef was discovered in June 1884 on the farm Vogelstruisfontein.
- A name, 1886: The name Johannesburg was first used on October 3, 1886, and the first neighborhood, Randjeslaagte, was surveyed between October 19 and November 3.
- A boom town, 1896: Within ten years the new town had more than 100,000 people.
- The Old Fort, 1896 to 1899: Paul Kruger built the fort that later became the prison on Constitution Hill. Gandhi was held there in 1906.
- A city, 1928: Johannesburg was given city status in 1928.
- Apartheid, from 1948: The government imposed apartheid from 1948, and in the 1950s it began building townships such as Soweto for Black families outside the city.
- The Soweto uprising, 1976: On June 16, 1976, police fired on schoolchildren protesting against being taught in Afrikaans, and the unrest spread across the city.
- After apartheid, from 1994: Museums founded after 1994, among them the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill, the Hector Pieterson Museum and Mandela House, record the country's political history.
- To learn more ashore: The Apartheid Museum, at the corner of Northern Parkway and Gold Reef Road in Ormonde, traces the rise and fall of apartheid.
Johannesburg with Children
Gold Reef City, a theme park on an old gold mine, makes a straightforward family day in Johannesburg, and the Apartheid Museum is next door for older children. Further out, the Cradle of Humankind's visitor center tells the story of human origins.
- Younger children: Gold Reef City has 20 rides for young children, 9 family rides and a trampoline park, among buildings styled on the gold rush.
- School age: The park runs an underground mine tour, and its mining museum shows a vein of gold-bearing ore and how gold is poured.
- Teenagers: At the Apartheid Museum, children aged 7 to 17 paid R190 in 2026; check before you go. Its subject is apartheid's violence as well as its laws, so decide in advance how much younger children should see.
- A day out of town: Maropeng, the official visitor center of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, is about 50 km northwest of the city. The caves at Sterkfontein produced the 2.3-million-year-old fossil skull nicknamed Mrs. Ples in 1947.
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